Knife sharpener



' Dec. 24, 1946. E. I; CASE KNIFE SHARPENER Filed March 15, 1945 iyQf-Z3 .E. ZZ [555 -M Patented Dec. 24, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE2,413,169 KNIFE SHARPENER Emerson E. Case, Perry, N. Y.

Application March 15, 1945, Serial No. 582,857

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a knife sharpener, and more particularly to aknife sharpening rack which may be constructed to receive one or anynumber of knives of varying widths and so arranged that the insertionand withdrawal of a knife will properly hone the edge to maintain theknife in good condition.

An object of the invention is to provide a device suitable for use inkitchens or commercial establishments in which knives can be safely keptreadily available for use as desired.

A further object is to provide in conjunction with such a casesharpening means so arranged that the passag of the knife blade into andout of the device will be effective to hone the cutting edge.

Other subsidiary objects will more particularly appear in the course ofthe following detailed description.

The invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement andcombinations of parts hereinafter more particularly described andclaimed.

One sheet of drawings accompanies this specification as part thereof inwhich like reference characters indicate like parts throughout.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a knife holder adapted to receive andsharpen several knives;

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical cross-section taken on line 2--2 ofFigure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of an upper corner of thedevice with the top partly broken away and the side removed; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan View looking down on Figure 3.

In the embodmient of the invention illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, a container is provided comprising side walls I I connected atthe top by a narrow back wall 2 associated with a hinged back wall doorportion 3, a bottom 4, a top 6 and a front transparent panel 5 which maybe secured in a frame 5'.

An attachment strip I5 having spaced orifices I6 may conveniently besecured to the narrow back portion 2 by means of which the entirecontainer can be supported by nails or screws from a wall surface.

The top member. 6 is preferably formed with a down-turned lip I at itsforward edge adapted to contact the upper face of a member II whichextends the full width and depth of the container between the end wallsI-I.

By reference to Figure 2 it will be noted that by this construction thelip 1 spaces the block II from the main body of the top 6 and in thisspace is secured against the back wall member 2 a plurality of blocks 9having angularly disposed side walls to which are secured hone membersI0, By reference to Figure 3 it will be observed that the hone membersI0 positioned in the notched space between two of the block members 9are positioned one above the other, so that these hone members I6intersect as illustrated in Figure 4.

Notches 3 are provided in the top member 6 and similar notches I2 areprovided in the member I I, the notches 8 and I2 being arranged in pairsin vertical alignment with the space between adjacent blocks 99 to formslots longer and wider than the cross-section of th knife blade topermit free insertion of the knife. 1

Secured against the forward end of edge of the notches I2 in the memberII are resilient spring members I3 having their free ends extendingdownwardly and which are adapted to bear against the back edge of aknife blade B as the knife K is positioned in the container.

In operation a knife blade B is inserted in one of the slots 8 in thetop member 6 and as it passes through the superposed slots Ii in themembers 8 and I2 and the member II its back edge is engaged by theresilent spring member I3 which forces the blade rearwardly so that itscutting edge engages between the hones I0IU associated with thatparticular pair of slots. By reason of the hones of each pairintersecting as illustrated it will be observed that there is no troughbottom for the knife edge to contact but that the edge successivelyengages on opposite sides the superposed hones Ill-J0.

It will also be observed that this device requires no attention upon thepart of the operator with respect to the honing operating, inasmuch asthe mere insertion of the knife operates to effectively hone the edgeboth on the insertion movement and on the withdrawal movement by reasonof the automatic pressure of the blade by resilient member I3 intohoning relationship with the hone members IIIil.

While in the foregoing description the sharpening elements have beenreferred to as hones, the invention is not restricted to any particularsharpening element or device, being adaptable to use with file members,abrasive powders glued to a supporting base, emery cloth or the like.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. Knife sharpening rack comprising a container enclosing a chamber inwhich to sheathe the blade of a knife, a wall of said container having aslot giving access to said chamber, said slot being elongated in a frontto back direction and having its cross-sectional area longer and widerthan the blade which it is adapted to accommodate to permit easyinsertion of said blade, a pair of opposed homes within said chamberbelow said slot, angularly arranged one above the other with theiradjacent ends lapping, and their working faces in planes which form adihedral angle whose apex intersects the area of said slot near the backend of the latter, and a spring within said chamber adjacent said hones,fixed to said container below the front end of said slot, having ayielding portion extending toward said apex so that the distance fromsaid yielding portion to said apex is normally less than the lengthdimension of the cross-section of the knife blade, whereby said knifeblade is pressed by said spring toward said bones and guided to aposition coincident with the bisecting plane of said dihedral angleshould it be inserted inclined with respect to said bisecting plane.

2. Knife sharpening rack as claimed in claim 1, said spring being a leafspring fixed at its upper end with its free end directed downwardly fromsaid slot, and said homes being confined to a relatively narrow zoneabove the lower end of said chamber.

EMERSON E. CASE.

